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For years, astrophysicists have been trying to identify earth-like planets. They have used telescopes that do not have the ability to image smaller objects, as the brighter light of their stars overshadow their glow, according to scienceworldreport.

"This problem is often referred to as the "candle next to the lighthouse" problem. The name grants it little justice - the problem is often much, much worse. Current instrument technology is very complex and expensive and still a ways off from achieving direct images of Earth-like planets," astrophysicist Daniel Batcheldor said.

However, in a study  from the Florida Institute of Technology led by Batcheldor, researchers discovered that a charge injection device, or CID, can capture the light of objects millions of times dimmer than other objects such as an exoplanet near the bright star.

The study was published in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.

The CIDs are cameras used since the 1970s. They make use of "each individual pixel independently, allowing the brightest ones to be indexed immediately while the dimmer ones gather additional light", according to a press release.

"If this technology can be added to future space missions, it may help us make some profound discoveries regarding our place in the universe," Batcheldor said.

Batcheldor's team used a CID on the Institute's 0.8-meter telescope. It was permitted to see objects 70 million times fainter than Sirius, the Dog Star. It was done through Florida's thick atmosphere. Hence, the CID was a 1,000 times more effective than an average astronomical camera.

"Personally, I like very simple, straightforward solutions, especially when there is a complex problem," Batcheldor said. "The CID is able to look at a very bright source next to a very faint source and not experience much of the image degradation you would normally experience with a typical camera."